Accelerated and fast magnetic reconnection through enhanced resistive dissipation for MHD equations

Abstract

We consider the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection, namely a change in the topology of magnetic lines, for sufficiently regular solutions of the three-dimensional periodic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations. We provide examples where magnetic reconnection occurs on time scales shorter than the resistive one, due to enhanced dissipation emerging from advective effects. This is the first analytical result where the advection term plays an active role in the reconnection process. A key aspect of our approach is a new estimate for enhanced diffusion of high Sobolev norms, which is of independent interest beyond its application to the MHD equations.